Looking Back, Looking Forward
by Niki Bogwater
Summary: Oneshot, Twilight Princess. In which Link has some of his mysterious past revealed, and comes face-to-face with a familiar friend...


His heavy panting filled the air, a familiar sound to Link. He followed his nose to the source of the sound, a brilliant golden wolf that shone with a dazzling light. It was waiting patiently for him. As he approached, it stood and jumped towards him, almost joyously. And everything disappeared in a bright flash.

* * *

More to learn. Link gritted his teeth as his instructor pressed him for more. Sometimes it felt like even his best wasn't good enough, this...mysterious Shade as he called himself, kept urging him, admonishing him, telling him only what he could be doing better. It was frustrating.

And yet, it felt so natural, so thrilling to be learning from him. Why, Link had no idea. Something within him just screamed contentment, like this was where he wanted to be, sweat rolling down his nose and clashing his sword against another's in friendly, if somewhat disciplined, combat.

"Very good, my child..." the Shade finally gave in. Link dropped to his knees in relief.

"When will it be over...?" he panted. "When can I stop? When will I save my home...and Ilia...when can I be done?" He'd wanted to ask this for quite sometime. Somehow, he had always managed to keep his discontent hidden. But he was too exhausted for that now. He had to know.

The Shade looked at him...sadly? It was strange. The wavering figure before him no longer seemed quite so expressionless.

"Link..." he said slowly. "Do you know who I am?" Link shook his head, not particularly caring at the moment.

"Let me take a form you will recognize..." Another bright flash of light. Link was, unfortunately, starting to get used to those. Looking up he saw...himself?

No, it wasn't himself. The tunic was the same, as were the boots and the hat, but the person wearing them was different. For one thing, he was a lot taller than Link. Yet his eyes were the exact same shade of soft blue, even softer beneath the expression of sadness. He looked the same age as himself, perhaps seventeen or eightteen. Golden-blonde hair stuck messily out of his hat, framing an elongated face quite similar to his own. Suddenly, it clicked. Link knew this person.

"You...you're the hero. The one everyone says is inside me." The figure nodded.

"And...?" the hero prompted. His voice was different, too. It was smooth and lilting, almost soothing, like the song of a violin. Yet it sounded authoritative and regal, like this was someone who demanded respect.

"And...what?" Link asked dully.

"Do you know who else I am?"

"No..."

"No one ever told you?"

"No..." Link said, starting to get tired of this. The hero seemed to be aware of this, and he chuckled.

"Tell me, Link. The only reason you are on this journey is for Ilia, correct?"

"How do you-"

"Correct?" the Shade said again, more firmly. Link nodded.

"Do you love her?" Link's head snapped up.

"Wh-what?" Of all the questions to ask...

"I asked a very simple question. Do you love Ilia?" Link thought back. He remembered how he'd felt when Ilia had been angry with him. Desperate. For her forgiveness. When she was hurt by the moblins...he was terrified that she would be taken from his life forever. When he followed her all the way to Telma's Bar...and she hadn't even seen him...broken. His heart had felt broken. Whenever he had thought about her, whenever she'd smiled at him, whenever he felt her hand slip into his quietly...joy. Was that what love was? A combination of all this feelings? Or was it something simpler, or perhaps even more complex? Link's head hurt from trying to sort it all out.

Noticing his confused face, the Shade chuckled again. "Obviously you do." He continued before Link could respond. "I loved someone the same way you love Ilia. I still do, in fact. She was sweet and simple, and the most beautiful girl in the world to me. Very similar to Ilia, actually. I never loved anyone as much as I loved her, and I never will. Do you know who that girl was?" Link shook his head, his eyes fastened on the ground.

"She was your mother." Link jerked his head up again, staring at his teacher.

"B-but that means..."

"I'm your father. That's why you have that mark on your hand." Link slipped his gauntlet off of his left hand, gazing at the peculiar triangle that had been there for as long as he could remember. Looking up, he saw his father do the same. As he removed his glove from his left hand, an identical mark revealed itself. In response, Link felt his hand twinge as the Triforce on his hand glowed. His father's hand did the same.

His father held out his hand and pulled Link up. He glanced into those brilliant sapphire eyes and had to look away. It was all too weird. Those were his own eyes. They were identical to his. Except that they looked more sorrowful than any other eyes Link had seen.

"I am so sorry, Link," his father said, and he knew that he meant it. "I never once thought that Gannon might escape, I never meant to thrust such a burden as I carried onto you."

"You...you fought Gannon?" Link stuttered, his mind reeling.

"And saved Hyrule. And Princess Zelda. And your mother. And pretty much everyone else in Hyrule. And don't even get me started on what happened in Termina."

"Termina...?"

"It's a long story."

"Will you tell me sometime?" Link asked hesitantly, yet hopefully. His father chuckled again.

"Perhaps," he answered with a mischievous smile.

"What happened...? Why didn't I know? Why...why weren't you there for me?" Link asked, almost angrily.

"Link, when Princess Zelda saw the mark on your hand, she insisted that we hide you. No one, not even you, were to know anything of your past or even of what might happen in the future. She...she said you were never to know me or your mother. If someone had found you, it would have been all to easy to take the Triforce of Courage from you. We couldn't risk that...so we had to send you to Ordon to be raised as a peasant until you were strong enough to know the truth about yourself." Looking up again, Link saw such an intense sorrow written on his father's face, that he knew it was never his fault.

"What...happened after that...with you and...you and mom?"

"We went on with life. We worked on a farm and served our community as normal citizens of Hyrule. We prayed for our lost youngster every day. And then we died." He said the last part so calmly, like it was no big deal.

"You...what?"

"Link, people are born, they live, and they die, and their spirit lives on, just as mine does. It's just how things are. Just stay true to the goddesses, and you will never have to fear death."

"...can I ask you something?"

"Link, I'm your father. You can ask me anything." Link smiled ruefully, glancing up again to see his father's face lit up with an amused smile.

"What's your real name?" At this, the smile grew even wider.

"My name? Well, I guess I never did properly introduce myself. My name...is Link."

_**Fin.**_

**A/N: Sooo yeah, not much to say about this one. I was playing Twilight Princess and I was all like "Hey, there's probably a fanfic floating around in my head somewhere." And you guys should know me well enough to be able to guess who Link's mother is. ;)**

**Ciao, Little Friends,**

**-Niki Bogwater**


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